The present invention relates generally to hardware for hanging drapes, and more particularly to unique brackets assemblies, and methods of utilizing same, to hang drapes about window frames, door openings, and the like.
One, very common, window treatment involves (1) a curtain that is hung on one, or more traverse rods secured about the window, and (2) a drapery that is hung in front of the curtain. The curtain may be of a sheer material that hangs downwardly, in front of the window. The drapery, which extends further into the interior of the room, covers the traverse rod and related hardware to enhance the visual appeal of the window treatment. While the drapery may assume different shapes and configurations, one configuration that has gained widespread acceptance is the swag, or festoon, drape.
A swag drape requires, as a minimum, a pair of brackets, one bracket situated at, or in proximity to, an upper corner of the window frame. Each bracket is secured to the window frame, or to the wall adjacent to the window frame, and each bracket must extend away from the wall a distance sufficient to clear the traverse rods employed to support the curtain. Clips, springs, or other securing devices are used in conjunction with conventional brackets to retain the drapery material in fixed relationship to the brackets, once the drapery material has been passed thereover.
Diverse brackets have been developed to address the problems encountered in hanging drapes. To illustrate, U.S. Pat. No. 2,431,934, granted Dec. 2, 1947, to Harry F. Higgins, discloses a ring bracket 10 for supporting, and securing, a drapery in a predetermined position. The drapery, as shown in FIG. 2 of Higgins, comprises a pleated, vertically extending panel along each side of the window joined by a downwardly bowed section, also known as a festoon or swag.
Each ring bracket 10 is formed of metal rod, and comprises parallel arms 13, 14, which terminate, at their forward ends in a split ring 12. A rectangular bracket 15 is secured to the rear ends of arms 13, 14. When the bracket is secured to a window frame or wall, the split ring 12 extends forwardly into the room or enclosure. About one-half of the drapery material is then trained through the interstice 14 defined between parallel arms 12, 13 in each bracket, while the remainder of the drapery material falls through split ring 12 to form the swag or festoon, as shown in FIG. 3 of Higgins. The swag is thus held between the rings, while the vertical panels may be adjusted.
Another drapery bracket, and one that has realized commercial success, is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,258, granted Aug. 18, 1981, to Stanley Kleiman. Such patent discloses a festoon support device 10 including a pair of mounting brackets 11 and a forwardly projecting festoon support arm 24 separably coupled to each of the brackets, as shown in FIG. 2. A depending loop 30 is integrally formed at the rear portion of each arm to allow the arm to securely rest on a curtain rod without tripping. A spring 36 is located on the top face of the arm to cooperate with serrated strips 37 to engage, and retain, a festoon. An angularly adjustable ornament 13 is separably mounted, by head 39 and coupling 40, to the front of each arm.
Yet other drapery brackets are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,646, granted Sep. 25, 1990, to Christer Hammerstig. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, each bracket 10 is a metal bar that is formed into an unusual shape. As shown in the side elevational view of FIG. 1 of Hammerstig, one end of the bracket is secured to support wall 14 by screws 15, while the other end of the bracket is fashioned as a terminal portion 16. A rearwardly opening body is defined by parallel legs 11, 12. A rosette 18 is secured to the front of the body by fastener 19. The drapery material 13 is threaded between legs 11, 12 and draped over the top of leg 11 in sufficient thickness that terminal portion 16 presses thereagainst and retains the drapery material in fixed position. One bracket 10 is used at each upper corner of the window frame, while a somewhat different intermediate bracket 22 is located in the middle of the frame window. The resultant drapery is shown in FIG. 3.
An alternative embodiment of a drapery bracket is shown in FIGS. 5-10 of Hammerstig. While the bracket 10 shown in FIGS. 1-4 employs terminal portion 16 to secure the threaded drapery material in position, the embodiment of FIGS. 5-10 relies upon the formation of a fabric rosette, and the inherent resiliency of the metal drapery bracket, to achieve such desirable result. The bracket 100 is formed of a flat metal bar that is bent to form a substantially C-shaped body 106. The body is defined by parallel arms 101, 102, and the body is joined to an L-shaped bracket 105. The rearward end of the bracket 105 is secured to a supporting wall by mounting plate 108 and screws 109, as shown in FIG. 5.
In use, drapery material 13 is pleated, and is then placed over bracket 105, as shown in FIG. 6. The user then forces the upper ends of resilient arms 101, 102 apart, so that an upper layer of drapery material 110 can be pulled forwardly therethrough, as shown in FIG. 7. Subsequently, the prongs return to their unstressed position, and the drapery material is turned back over the prongs 101, 102 to form a fabric rosette 107, as shown in FIG. 9. The fabric rosette tends to lock the drapery material in fixed position, and the resultant drapery is shown in FIG. 10.
While the above described drapery brackets performed satisfactorily in most instances, considerable skill was required of the craftsman performing the installation. Also, great care had to be taken by the user, particularly when the portion of the drapery material hanging downwardly between the horizontally spaced drapery brackets, was pulled downwardly to form the arcuate folds, known as a festoon, or a swag. The downward tugging on the drapery material tended to unduly loosen the clamping action of the spaced brackets upon the drapery material, and the arcuate folds tended to sag, thus diminishing the esthetic appeal of the window treatment.
Furthermore, the weight of the unsupported drapery material tended to pull the drapery free from the drapery brackets. With the passage of time, the brackets tended to deform, and the efficiency of the clamping action diminished. The use of heavy and/or bulky drapery materials, and the increase in the width of the window opening being draped, contributed to the loss of efficiency. Simpler, intermediate brackets, configured somewhat differently than the horizontally spaced drapery brackets located at the upper ends of a window frame, were employed to offset the reduction in clamping action; such approach is suggested by the intermediate bracket shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of Hammerstig.
Although the demand for easy to install, and simple-to-use, drapery brackets continued to mount, none of the presently available brackets satisfied such demand. Consumers further sought a bracket would enable them to readily pleat the drapery material associated with such bracket, and to easily lock the pleated material to a pair of horizontally spaced brackets. The homeowner could then install the necessary hardware and inexpensively form his, or her, own window treatment that would approximate the efforts usually achieved by a professional interior decorator or skilled craftsman.